ACTRA AWARDS IN TORONTO 2008
ANNOUNCEMENT OF WINNERS
For Immediate Release: Toronto, February 29, 2008 – Karl Pruner, President of ACTRA Toronto, is pleased to announce the winners of the 2008 ACTRA Awards in Toronto.
ACTRA Award for Outstanding Performance – voice
Matt Watts, Canadia 2056
ACTRA Award for Outstanding Performance – female
Caroline Cave, This Beautiful City
ACTRA Award for Outstanding Performance – male
Aaron Poole, This Beautiful City
Wendy Crewson presented Eric Peterson with ACTRA Toronto’s Award of Excellence.
The awards were presented by ACTRA Toronto at The Carlu on February 29, 2008.
Pruner notes, “The nominees for the ACTRA Outstanding Performance Awards are those performers whose work has been singled out for recognition by their peers. It is an accolade from their fellow performers, from people who know what they’re talking about, and it means a great deal.”
 MATT WATTS – ACTRA Award for Outstanding Performance - Voice
Matt Watts began working in the industry at 17 as a writer and stand-up comedian. He is best known for work playing ‘Matt’ in twoseasons of The Newsroom on the CBC. His other credits include TwitchCity, Slings & Arrows and Childstar. Matt is also credited as being one of the original writers for the award winning musical The Drowsy Chaperone. Matt has been working in radio drama for the past four years, creating the series: Steve, The First, Steve, The Second and Canadia 2056. Currently he is developing a screenplay with Foundry Films.
 CAROLINE CAVE – ACTRA Award for Outstanding Performance - Female
Caroline has worked in theatres all over Western Canada before joining the acting company at the ShawFestival in 2001. Since then she has been balancing her theatre career with some equally acclaimed work in the film industry. Before taking on the role of Carol in This Beautiful City Caroline’s work in The Syringa Tree garnered her the 2006 Jessie Award and 2005 Dora Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female in the Lead Role. Some of her recent credits include The L Word, Stargate: Atlantis, Six Figures and ReGenesis.
 AARON POOLE - ACTRA Award for Outstanding Performance - Male
Residing in Toronto’s Kensington Market, Aaron Poole is the proverbial man-about town. No doubt this had a part in his interest inThis Beautiful City, a cultural clash of the hip elite and the down-and-out in Toronto’s Queen West fringe. Premiering at the Toronto International Film Festival, Aaron not only nailed his cracked-out character, Johnny, to rave reviews but also stepped up as a producer on the project. Some of Aaron’s recent credits include, This is Wonderland, Touch the Top of the World, Gangster Exchange and ZOS: Zone of Separation.
ERIC PETERSON - ACTRA Toronto’s 2008 Award of Excellence
Eric Peterson is a Canadian star of the highest caliber with more than 50 film and television credits to his name and is also well known by audiences across the country for his prolific work on the stage. Peterson has been nominated for ten Gemini awards over the course of his career, five of them wins. His selected credits include Billy Bishop Goes to War, Sleeping Dogs Lie, Slings and Arrows, Traders, Da Vinci’s Inquest, The Stork Derby, Trudeau, This is Wonderland, Street Legal and of course his current role as the loveable curmudgeon, Oscar Leroy, in the critically acclaimed TV series Corner Gas. 
Peterson is actively involved with the ACTRA community and is a long time supporter of Canadian programming and performer rights. He was a key spokesperson in ACTRA’s first ever strike in early 2007 and a leading voice at the recent demonstration in support of More Canada on TV at the Canadian Association of Broadcasters convention in Ottawa.
The Awards Gala evening was hosted by Colin Mochrie. Paul Constable was the scriptwriter. The awards show featured a performance by ACTRA member and singer Kathryn Rose. The ACTRA Awards statuette is by sculptor Adrienne Alison. The annual ACTRA Awards in Toronto recognize outstanding performances by ACTRA Toronto members and celebrate accomplishment and excellence in our industry.
ACTRA Toronto is the largest organization within ACTRA, representing more than 11,000 of Canada’s 21,000 professional performers working in the English-language recorded media in Canada. As an advocate for Canadian culture since 1943, ACTRA is a member-driven organization that continues to secure the rights and respect for the work of professional performers.
- 30 -
For more information:
Susan Ponting ACTRA National Public Relations Officer
direct: (416) 644–1519 cell: (416) 897–7028 email: sponting@actra.ca
|
